Rockies beat Cubs 6-4 in 10 innings

CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Barnes hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the 10th inning, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 6-4 on Wednesday night.

Colorado loaded the bases on two walks and Michael McKenry’s third hit of the game before Barnes singled to left with one out against Wesley Wright (0-2). Drew Stubbs then scored on a wild pitch, helping the Rockies stop a three-game slide.

Rob Scahill (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for his second major league win and Adam Ottavino got three outs for his first career save. Scahill was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs before the game, bolstering Colorado’s bullpen after it used eight relievers in Tuesday night’s 16-inning loss.

Luis Valbuena had three hits and three RBIs for the Cubs, including a tying two-run homer with two out in the eighth. Valbuena’s eighth homer came after Stubbs dropped a fly ball at the wall in center, prolonging the inning.

Valbuena came up with a runner on first and two out in the 10th, but was retired on a sinking liner to right.

McKenry, Charlie Blackmon and Charlie Culberson each doubled home a run for the Rockies, and Brett Anderson pitched seven effective innings.

Cubs left-hander Travis Wood set career highs with 11 strikeouts and 119 pitches, but remains winless in eight starts dating to a 3-0 win at Philadelphia on June 15. Wood gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings.

Journeyman catcher John Baker had an RBI double one night after he pitched a scoreless 16th inning and scored the winning run in Chicago’s 4-3 victory.

Blackmon and Culberson got their RBI doubles in the second, helping the Rockies to a 3-0 lead. After Baker got the Cubs on the board in the fifth, McKenry doubled home Stubbs to restore Colorado’s three-run advantage in the sixth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was out of the lineup due to soreness in his right ankle and left knee. He went 1 for 5 with a walk and scored a run while playing 12 innings in Tuesday night’s loss.

“He’s not quite 100 percent with that ankle,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He played in that fiasco last night and we’ve got a day game tomorrow, so a lot of things lined up for having a day off.”

ON DECK

The Cubs send right-hander Jake Arrieta (5-2, 2.18 ERA) to the mound for the finale of the four-game series on Thursday afternoon. Arrieta is looking for his first win in a month in his first career appearance against Colorado.

Tyler Matzek was slated to start for the Rockies, but Weiss decided to give him an extra day or two of rest after he gave up Starlin Castro’s game-ending sacrifice fly in the 16-inning loss. Instead, Pedro Hernandez will be promoted from Triple-A Colorado Springs for the lefty’s first game with Colorado.

Hernandez, 25, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in November after he went 3-3 with a 6.83 ERA in 14 games with Minnesota last year, including 12 starts.

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